55 Interesting Facts About . . .

Energy

Only 10% of energy in a light bulb is used to create light. Ninety percent
of a light bulb’s energy creates heat. Compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs), on the other hand, use about 80% less electricity than conventional bulbs and last up to 12 times as long.g

Refrigerators in the U.S. consume about the same energy as 25 large power plants produce each year.e

From 2008 to 2030, world energy consumption is expected to increase more
than 55%.g

About 5,000 years ago, the energy people consumed for their survival averaged
about 12,000 kilocalories per person each day. In AD 1400, each person was
consuming about twice as much energy (26,000 kilocalories). After the Industrial
Revolution, the demand almost tripled to an average of 77,000 kilocalories
per person in 1875. By 1975, it had tripled again to 230,000 kilocalories
per person.c

The world’s biggest blackout occurred on August 14, 2004, when a massive
power outage occurred across the northeastern U.S. and throughout Ontario,
Canada, affecting 50 million people.g

Google data centers used 260 million megawatts of power in 2010

Google accounts for roughly 0.013% of the world’s energy use. It uses
enough energy to continuously power 200,000 homes.a

According to Google, the energy it takes to conduct 100 searches on its
site is equivalent to a 60-watt light bulb burning for 28 minutes. Google
uses about 0.0003 kWh of energy to answer the avenge search query, which
translates into about 0.2 g of carbon dioxide released.a

The United States produces half of its electricity from coal. China uses
coal to generate more than three-fourths of its electricity. Australia, Poland,
and South Africa produce an even greater percentage. Overall, coal makes
up 2/5 of the world’s electricity generation.e

Ten countries produce 2/3 of the world’s oil and hold the same percentage
of known reserves. Saudi Arabia tops both lists.e

Ten countries produce 2/3 of the world's natural gas and hold about the same
percentage of known reserves.e

The United States produces more nuclear-generated electricity than any other
country, nearly 1/3 of the world’s total. The second largest producer
is France, which generates more than 3/4 of its electricity in nuclear reactors.f

The most powerful hydroelectric project in the world is China’s Three
Gorges Dam. The controversial and enormous power plant brings power to millions
of Chinese villagers and will generate more than 22,000 megawatts from six
generators.d

In 2007, wind produced 1.3% of the electricity in the world. The world’s
largest wind farm is the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center near Abilene, Texas.
Covering 92 square miles, the center has more than 400 turbines that are
262 feet tall. They produce 735 megawatts of electricity.d

Approximately 30% of energy used in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily.h

Over 86% of the energy used in the U.S. each year is from the combustion
of fossil fuels.h

Developers might construct homes differently if they had to pay the utilities

Some researchers suggest that if developers had to prepay 50 years’ worth
of utility bills, they would construct buildings differently.h

Cooling and heating costs make up approximately 1/2 of an average U.S.
home’s total energy bill.h

On average, one pool pump consumes electricity equal to 44% of the annual
electricity consumption of a typical California household. There are over
7 million pools in America.h

In the last 50 years, atmospheric CO2 has shot up to levels unprecedented
in the previous 400,000 years. The man-made injection of CO2 into the atmosphere
is primarily from the burning of fossil fuels.h

American hospitals are some of the most energy-intense buildings on the
planet.h

Electric utilities are the largest source of greenhouse gas in America.h

In 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that transportation fuel
consumption in the U.S. would grow from 150 billion gallons annually in 2020
to over 250 billion gallons by the middle of this century. Researchers hypothesize
that we would have to export trillions of dollars to oil producing countries,
which would compromise our currency, our economy, and our environment.h

Lighting currently accounts for about 20% of U.S. electricity consumption.h

James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies,
has argued, “Coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and
all life on our planet.” In America, burning coal releases more CO2
in the air than all cars and trucks combined.h

A PlayStation 3 uses more energy than a refrigerator

In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics
is consumed while the products are turned off. The average desktop computer
idles at 80 watts, while the average laptop idles at 20 watts. A Sony PlayStation
3 uses about 200 watts and nearly as much when idle. Idle power consumes
more electricity than all the solar panels in America combined.h

On a hot summer afternoon, California consumes the entire output of two
large nuclear reactors pumping water.h

One ceiling fixture can use $2,000 to $5,000 of electricity over its useful
life.h

The most energy-intensive part of the food chain is the kitchen. Much more
energy is used to refrigerate and prepare food in the home than is used to
produce it in the first place.h

China has taken over the U.S. as both the world’s largest CO2 emitter
and the world’s largest energy consumer.e

Heating and cooling rooms use the most energy in American homes today.e

Civilization’s first significant energy invention was fire. It was
only about 5,000 years ago that humans began using other energy sources such
as wind. In America, the first natural gas light was created in 1821. The
first oil well was dug in 1859. The first gasoline car was built in 1892.c

Thomas Edison built the first power plant

Thomas Edison built the first power plant, and in 1882 his Pearl Street
Power Station sent electricity to 85 buildings. People were initially afraid
of electricity and parents would not let their children near the lights.c

English polymath Thomas Young (1773-1829) was the first to use the word “energy” in
its current sense, replacing the traditional term vis viva, meaning “living
force.”c

In the United States, petroleum provides the most energy, more than coal,
natural gas, or solar energy.e

Hydropower is the main renewable energy source the U.S. relies on—more
than wind, solar, or geothermal power.g

Coal generates more electricity than any other source. It produces twice
as much electricity as natural gas.e

America burns nearly half of the world’s gasoline.e

More than 1/5 of the world’s primary energy is used for transport,
followed by industry, construction, and agricultures. Much is in the form
of gasoline, of which nearly 792.5 million gallons is burned every day.e

The top seven oil consumers combined use more than half of the world’s
total. The United States alone uses more than a quarter.e

A “watt” is a unit of power that measures the rate of producing
or using energy. The term was named after Scottish engineer James Watt (1736-1819),
who developed an improved steam engine. Watt measured his engine’s
performance in horsepower. One horsepower equaled 746 watts.e

Just 1/3 of the energy in burning coal reaches the consumer as electricity.e

Researches note that energy is the key “to the advancement of civilization” and
that energy is the catalyst that allows human societies to evolve.d